U.S. patent application number 13/747149 was filed with the patent office on 2013-07-25 for system and method for portable solar array deployment.
This patent application is currently assigned to SELDON ENERGY PARTNERS, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Seldon Energy Partners, LLC. Invention is credited to David Charles Bisig, JR., William Tol Harris, Mark Berry Smith.
Application Number | 20130187464 13/747149 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 48796225 |
Filed Date | 2013-07-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130187464 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Smith; Mark Berry ; et
al. |
July 25, 2013 |
System and Method for Portable Solar Array Deployment
Abstract
A deployable portable solar system is provided. The portable
solar system provides power for industrial use situations. The
portable solar system contains solar cells, one or more charge
controllers, one or more battery banks, DC to AC inverters, and a
disconnect. Optionally, the solar system contains a backup AC
generator, one or more transfer switches, a backup DC generator, a
utility line connection, one or more transformers, and a variable
frequency drive.
Inventors: |
Smith; Mark Berry; (Dallas,
TX) ; Bisig, JR.; David Charles; (Dripping Springs,
TX) ; Harris; William Tol; (Georgetown, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Seldon Energy Partners, LLC; |
Dallas |
TX |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
SELDON ENERGY PARTNERS, LLC
Dallas
TX
|
Family ID: |
48796225 |
Appl. No.: |
13/747149 |
Filed: |
January 22, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61589708 |
Jan 23, 2012 |
|
|
|
61589705 |
Jan 23, 2012 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
307/47 ; 307/68;
320/101 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02J 3/383 20130101;
F24S 20/50 20180501; Y02P 80/20 20151101; H02J 3/381 20130101; H02J
2300/22 20200101; H02S 20/30 20141201; Y02E 10/56 20130101; H02J
2300/24 20200101; F24S 2030/145 20180501; H02S 30/20 20141201; Y02E
10/40 20130101; H02J 7/00 20130101; H02S 10/40 20141201; F24S 80/40
20180501 |
Class at
Publication: |
307/47 ; 320/101;
307/68 |
International
Class: |
H02J 3/38 20060101
H02J003/38; H02J 7/00 20060101 H02J007/00 |
Claims
1. A portable solar power generator comprising: one or more solar
cells; one or more charge controllers electrically coupled to the
one or more solar cells, the one or more charge controllers
configured to receive power from the one or more solar cells; a
battery bank electrically coupled to the one or more charge
controllers, the one or more charge controllers configured to
charge the battery bank; one or more direct current (DC) to
alternating current (AC) inverters electrically coupled to the
battery bank; and a disconnect electrically coupled to the one or
more DC to AC inverters, the one or more DC to AC inverters
configured to provide AC current via the disconnect.
2. The portable solar power generator of claim 1, further
comprising a backup DC generator.
3. The portable solar power generator of claim 1, further
comprising a rotary converter electrically coupled to the one or
more DC to AC inverters.
4. The portable solar power generator of claim 1, wherein the
generator is configured to provide single, dual, or three phase
power.
5. The portable solar power generator of claim 1, further
comprising a transfer switch electrically coupled to one or more of
a group consisting of a backup AC generator, a combustion
generator, and a utility power line.
6. The portable solar power generator of claim 5, wherein an
electrical component is configured to provide excess power
generated by the one or more solar cells to the utility power
line.
7. The portable solar power generator of claim 6, wherein the
excess power is power that is generated in excess of the power
requirements of a load electrically coupled to the disconnect.
8. The portable solar power generator of claim 5, wherein the
backup AC generator is configured to activate when the battery bank
malfunctions.
9. The portable solar power generator of claim 5, wherein the
backup AC generator is configured to activate when the battery bank
is unable to provide sufficient operating power to a load
electrically coupled to the disconnect.
10. The portable solar power generator of claim 1, further
comprising a transformer electrically coupled to the DC to AC
inverter.
11. The portable solar power generator of claim 10, wherein the
transformer is configured to receive legs of 208 VAC power and
output three phase 480 VAC power.
12. The portable solar power generator of claim 10, wherein an
output of the transformer varies based on one or more of: an output
of the DC to AC inverters, an output of a rotary converter, an
output of a backup generator, or an output of utility power, and
wherein the output of the transformer is selected to provide
sufficient operating power to a load electrically coupled to the
disconnect.
13. The portable solar power generator of claim 1, wherein the
battery bank is configured to support an inrush current of power
related to start-up of a load electrically coupled to the
disconnect.
14. The portable solar power generator of claim 1, wherein the
battery bank comprises a plurality of batteries, wherein a number
of the plurality of batteries is selected based upon the power
requirements of a load electrically coupled to the disconnect.
15. The portable solar power generator of claim 1, wherein the
battery bank comprises a plurality of batteries, wherein a number
of the plurality of batteries is selected based upon one or more
of: providing continuous power for twenty-four hours to a load
electrically coupled to the disconnect; and the operating hours of
the load.
16. The portable solar power generator of claim 1, further
comprising a transformer, wherein the plurality of solar cells
comprises 96 solar cells, wherein each of the solar cells is
configured to output 230 watts (W) of power at 48 volts (V) DC,
wherein the one or more charge controllers comprises 6 charge
controllers, wherein each of the 6 charge controllers is configured
to provide 150 amps (A) at 48 VDC, wherein the battery bank is
configured to provide a surge current of 96 A at 48 VDC, wherein
the DC to AC inverter receives 48 VDC from the battery bank and
outputs three phase 208 VAC, and wherein the transformer receives
the three phase 208 VAC and outputs three phase 480 VAC.
17. The portable solar power generator of claim 1 further
comprising: a transformer; and wherein the plurality of solar cells
comprises 96 solar cells, wherein each of the solar cells is
configured to output 250 watts (W) of power at 48 volts (V) DC,
wherein the one or more charge controllers comprises 6 charge
controllers, wherein each of the 6 charge controllers is configured
to provide 150 amps (A) at 48 VDC, wherein the battery bank is
configured to provide a surge current of 96 A at 48 VDC, wherein
the DC to AC inverter receives 48 VDC from the battery bank and
outputs three phase 208 VAC, and wherein the transformer receives
the three phase 208 VAC and outputs three phase 480 VAC.
18. The portable solar power generator of claim 1 further
comprising: a variable frequency drive, wherein the variable
frequency drive is selected based upon one or more of: an in-rush
current resulting from starting of a load electrically coupled to
the disconnect; and a change in electrical resistance of the load
while running.
19. A method for providing industrial solar power comprising:
generating an output voltage from an array of solar cells;
receiving the output voltage at a charge controller; charging a
battery bank by the charge controller using the output voltage;
receiving a DC battery voltage from the battery bank at a DC to AC
inverter; converting the DC battery voltage to an AC voltage by the
DC to AC inverter; and outputting the AC voltage by DC to AC
inverter.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the AC voltage is any one of
single, dual and three phase power at any one of 110-120 VAC,
208-240 VAC, 460-480 VAC, and up to 800 VAC.
21. The method of claim 19, further comprising concurrently drawing
power from a utility line as a secondary power source.
22. The method of claim 21, further comprising drawing power from
the utility line when additional power is needed and supplying
power to the utility line when the generated power exceeds the
power required by an attached load.
23. The method of claim 21, wherein the utility line is supplying
two phase or single phase power.
24. The method of claim 19, wherein one or more attached loads
receive power directly from a variable frequency drive as well as
power that bypasses the variable frequency drive.
25. The method of claim 19, further comprising a rotary converter
receiving a single phase or two phase signal from the DC to AC
inverter and wherein the rotary converter converts the power to
three phase power.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 61/589,708, filed on Jan. 23, 2012 by Mark
Berry Smith, et al., entitled "System and Method for Portable Solar
Array Deployment," and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.
61/589,705, filed on Jan. 23, 2012 by Mark Berry Smith, et al.,
entitled "Solar Power System," which are both incorporated by
reference herein as if reproduced in their entireties.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Some sources of electrical energy provide electrical power
at undesirably high cost, with inconvenient power quality
characteristics, and/or are not environmentally friendly. Some
applications that consume electrical power are located relatively
remote from conveniently available commercial electrical grid
systems. Some applications that consume electrical power are
temporary in nature and may not be suitable for connection to
commercial electrical grid systems to receive electrical energy
from the commercial grid systems or to provide electrical energy to
the commercial grid systems. Some solar power systems are
configured as permanent installations and/or are not readily
deployable and/or may not be suitable for convenient use at
successively different geographic locations. Some solar power
systems are not configured for industrial applications such as for
providing greater than about 1 kW capacity, two phase or three
phase alternating current, and/or voltages greater than about 110
VAC.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] For a more complete understanding of this disclosure,
reference is now made to the following brief description, taken in
connection with the accompanying drawings and detailed description,
wherein like reference numerals represent substantially similar
parts.
[0004] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a solar power system.
[0005] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an electrical configuration of a
deployable solar power system.
[0006] FIG. 3 illustrates a processor and related components
suitable for controlling the deployable solar power system.
[0007] FIG. 4 is a diagram of an alternate electrical configuration
of a deployable solar power system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0008] This disclosure provides, in some embodiments, systems and
methods for providing portable, rapidly deployable, and rapidly
removable solar power energy while imparting a minimal amount of
environmental damage as a result of the deployment of the solar
power system. In some embodiments, the solar power systems
disclosed herein may be configured to provide direct current from
about 0.01 Volts to about 1500 Volts and/or alternating current
ranging from less than about 0.01 Volts to about 1200 Volts and
above. In some embodiments, the solar power systems disclosed
herein may be configured to provide single-phase, two-phase, and/or
three-phase power. In some embodiments, the solar power systems
disclosed herein may generally utilize one or more photovoltaic
cells configured to provide electrical current to one or more
batteries or charge controllers for batteries. In some embodiments,
the batteries may feed power inverters, rectifiers, transformers,
and/or other electrical components to supply a selected type of
electrical power from the options described above. Further and more
detailed disclosure and discussion of the electrical systems of the
solar power systems disclosed herein may be found in the U.S.
Provisional patent application of the same Applicants of this
disclosure and which was filed on Jan. 23, 2012 and entitled "SOLAR
POWER SYSTEM" and which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety. It will be appreciated that while some systems and
components common to this disclosure and the provisional patent
application incorporated by reference may be illustrated,
described, labeled, and/or configured differently, the combination
of disclosures is not inconsistent in substance and variations
should be interpreted as alternative embodiments comprising
combinations of the varied descriptions.
[0009] In certain geographic locations, utility power may not be
readily available or may be relatively expensive to acquire. For
example, once a new well has been drilled it may need to be
operated but the electrical grid power may not be available for
four-to-six months or more. Also there may be a need for temporary
power, such as in the aftermath of natural disasters. In these
locations, a portable electrical generator may be desirable. Some
generators may be powered by fossil fuels or other non-renewable
energy sources, resulting in higher operating costs and pollution.
Some generators may be powered by solar cells or other renewable
energy sources, but may not provide sufficient power to support
industrial applications. Presented herein is a system and method
for a portable solar array capable of providing power sufficient to
meet the demands of industrial applications. For example, a
portable solar array may be configured to provide 480 volt (V)
3-phase alternating current (AC) voltage up to 20 to 30 or more
kilowatts (kW) for use in industrial applications.
[0010] Referring now to FIG. 1 in the drawings, a solar power
system 100 is shown as deployed to an oil-producing well site.
Generally, the solar power system 100 comprises a transportable
container 102, a plurality of solar arms 104, and an electrical
control room 106. The container 102 may comprise a cargo box or
shipping type container or other skid or trailer mounted box-like
enclosure or pad. The container may be sized and shaped so that
transportation of the container 102 is convenient and/or allowed by
rail, tractor-trailer over public roadways, shipping at sea, and/or
may be configured to be carried by helicopter and/or other
aircraft. Regardless the mode of transport, the container 102 may
be configured to serve as a delivery package for the solar power
system 100 by selectively housing the components of the solar arms
104, the control room 106, and any other components necessary to
generate solar power while the solar power system 100 is in a
transport configuration.
[0011] The solar power system 100 is shown as further comprising an
anemometer 108 for measuring, monitoring, and/or reporting wind
speed and a weather vane 110 for measuring, monitoring, and/or
reporting wind direction. The solar power system 100 is shown as
further comprising a remote and/or wireless communication device
112 for measuring, monitoring, and/or reporting the status of the
status of the solar power system 100 and/or the environment in
which the solar power system 100 is disposed. The wireless
communication device 112 may further receive instructions for
controlling any of the electrical systems of the solar power system
100 and/or for controlling any automated, mechanized, and/or
selectively actuated aspects of the solar power system 100. The
solar power system 100 may comprise electrical components external
to the control room 106 and such components may be mounted
relatively closer to a source of commercial electrical power 114 in
a remote enclosure 116. In some embodiments, a circuit breaker or
electrical disconnect device may be associated with the remote
disclosure to selectively connect and disconnect the solar power
system 100 to the commercial electrical grid 114. In some
embodiments, the solar power system 100 may comprise a circuit
breaker or electrical disconnect device 121 to selectively connect
and disconnect the load 120 from the solar power system 100.
Additionally, the solar power system 100 may comprise a load line
118 that supplies electrical energy to a load 120. In the
embodiment shown, the load 120 may comprise an electrical motor
configured to cause mechanical reciprocation of a component of an
oil pump.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an electrical configuration 200 of a
deployable solar power system. All or part of the electrical
configuration 200 may be contained within the control room 106.
Certain components of the electrical configuration 200 may be
external to the control room 106. In addition, the electrical
configuration 200 may be modular in nature, thus certain modules
may be installed separately from the control room 106 upon
deployment of the solar power system 100.
[0013] The electrical configuration may comprise one or more solar
cells 205. The cells may be photovoltaic (PV) cells, or any other
cell capable of producing en electric current utilizing energy from
the sun. While six solar cells 205 are depicted, any number may be
used depending upon the requirements of the load 260. In certain
embodiments, the number of solar cells 205 may be divisible by two
or three. The solar cells 205 may be electrically connected to one
or more charge controllers 210. While only one charge controller
210 is depicted, several may be used depending upon the number of
solar cells 205 and/or electrical devices used. Optionally, a
backup direct current (DC) generator 265 may be electrically
connected to the charge controller 210. The charge controller 210
may be electrically connected to a battery bank 215.
[0014] The battery bank 215 may be electrically connected to a DC
to AC inverter 220. The output of the DC to AC inverter 220 may be
optionally electrically connected to a rotary converter 225, or a
transfer switch 230. Additionally, an optional backup AC generator
may be electrically connected to the transfer switch 230 in some
embodiments, however the transfer switch may be absent in other
embodiments. Another optional connection may include electrically
connecting utility power 240 to the transfer switch 230.
[0015] The output of the transfer switch 230 may be electrically
connected to a transformer 245. The output of the transformer 245
may be electrically connected to a disconnect 250, and the output
of the disconnect may be electrically connected to a load 260.
[0016] In an embodiment, the solar cells 205 may be configured in
an array comprising several solar cells. The solar power system 100
may comprise several arrays. Based upon the type of charge
controller 210 selected for use, several charge controllers 210 may
be required for charging one or more battery banks 215.
[0017] One or more battery banks 215 may comprise many batteries
electrically connected in series and/or parallel depending upon the
voltage and current requirements of the load 260. The batteries may
be selected to provide up to 24 hours or more of power to the load
260. One or more battery banks 215 may also be used in the case
when solar power may not be readily available due to natural or
unnatural conditions. The battery bank 215 may also support a surge
power draw required by the load 260. For example, in certain
applications, when a motor starts, the initial draw of current may
be two, three, six, ten or more times the normal operating draw of
the motor. One or more battery banks 215 may be configured to
accommodate the surge draw of the load 260. In addition, the
battery banks 215 may provide cleaner power than a typical fossil
fuel generator. Cleaner power may comprise fewer current spikes,
drop-outs, troughs, noise, or other problems associated with
"dirty" power. When a typical fossil fuel generator starts, there
may be a power spike or trough. The solar cells 205 and the battery
bank 215 reduce the possibility of a power spike or trough during
operation of the solar power system 100. One or more battery banks
215 may be stored within the control room 106 and/or externally,
based upon the size of the battery banks 215, or other needs. In
certain embodiments, a battery bank 215 may not be needed, or may
be relatively small. For example, if the load 260 is only running
when sunlight is available to the solar cells 205, then little or
no battery bank 215 may be needed.
[0018] The battery bank 215 provides a DC voltage and current to
one or more DC to AC inverters 220. The DC to AC inverter 220 may
be a single phase 120 VAC or 240 VAC inverter, or a two or three
phase 208 VAC inverter, or any other DC to AC inverter as needed.
While only one DC to AC inverter 220 is depicted, several DC to AC
inverters 220 may be used as needed based upon the type of load 260
or other uses of the solar power system 100. If the DC to AC
inverter 220 is a single phase inverter, a rotary converter 225 may
be electrically connected to the output of the DC to AC inverter
220. The rotary converter 225 may convert the single phase output
of DC to AC inverter 220 to 3 phase power. The output of the DC to
AC inverter 220 or the output of the rotary converter 225 may be
connected to the transfer switch 230.
[0019] Optionally, in certain embodiments, a backup AC generator
235 may be electrically connected to the transfer switch 230. The
backup AC generator 235 may be used if the battery bank 215
malfunctions or is unable to provide sufficient power to the load
260. In certain embodiments a connection to utility power 240 may
be available. The utility power 240 may be used if the battery bank
215 malfunctions or is unable to provide sufficient power to the
load 260. In certain other embodiments, both the backup AC
generator 235 and utility power 240 may be available. The
connection to utility power 240 may also be used to supply excess
power generated by the solar power system 100 to the utility power
240 grid. This excess power may be sold to or used by an energy
provider or other power user connected to the utility power 240
grid.
[0020] In some embodiments, the transfer switch 230 may provide 208
VAC legs of power to transformer 245, while in other embodiments
the transfer switch 230 may provide 480 VAC three phase power. The
output voltage of the transfer switch 230 may vary based upon the
output of the DC to AC inverter 220, rotary converter 225,
alternate or backup AC generator 235, and utility power 240. In
some embodiments, if there is no backup AC 235 or utility power 240
connected to the solar power system 100, then a transfer switch may
230 may not be needed. Transformer 245 may step-up or step-down the
input voltage from the transfer switch 230 to three phase 480 VAC,
or other voltages, for use by the load 260. The output of the
transformer 245 may vary depending upon the needs of the load 260.
For example, the transformer may output single phase, two phase, or
three phase power at any voltage depending upon the needs of the
load 260 and/or configuration of the electrical configuration 200.
In some embodiments, the transformer 245 may not be included with
the solar power system 100. For example, if the load 260 requires
power matching the output characteristics of the DC to AC inverter
220, then a transformer 245 may not be necessary.
[0021] The disconnect 250 may provide an interface between the load
260 and the transformer 245. The disconnect 250 may be used for
safety purposes, providing an emergency shutoff for the load.
[0022] In another embodiment, there may be 96 solar cells in the
solar power system 100. Each solar cell may produce 250 watts (W)
of power. The output voltage of the solar cells may be 48 VDC. Each
charge controller may be capable of handling 150 amps (A) at 48
VDC. Thus, 6 charge controllers may be used. The battery bank may
be capable of supporting a current draw of 96 A at 48 VDC. The DC
to AC inverter may receive the 48 VDC from the battery bank and
generate either single phase 240 VAC or three phase 208 VAC. If the
DC to AC inverter generates single phase power, a rotary converter
may optionally be used to generate 3 phase power. In any case, 208
VAC three phase power may be provided to the optional transfer
switch from any of the DC to AC inverter, the rotary converter, the
utility line in, or the AC backup generator. The transfer switch
may switch to the appropriate power source and provide an output to
the transformer. The transformer may convert the 208 VAC legs of
power to 480 VAC three phase power for an industrial load.
Alternatively, the transformer may, if needed, provide 240 VAC
single phase power, or 120 VAC single phase power. If higher
voltages and/or amperages are required, several solar power systems
may be electrically connected together to provide the higher
power.
[0023] The components described above might include a processing
component that is capable of executing instructions related to the
actions described above, for example, automating or monitoring the
systems. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a system 3300 that
includes a processing component 3310 suitable for use in one or
more embodiments disclosed herein. In addition to the processor
3310 (which may be referred to as a central processor unit or CPU),
the system 3300 might include network connectivity devices 3320,
random access memory (RAM) 3330, read only memory (ROM) 3340,
secondary storage 3350, and input/output (I/O) devices 3360. These
components might communicate with one another via a bus 3370. In
some cases, some of these components may not be present or may be
combined in various combinations with one another or with other
components not shown. These components might be located in a single
physical entity or in more than one physical entity. Any actions
described herein as being taken by the processor 3310 might be
taken by the processor 3310 alone or by the processor 3310 in
conjunction with one or more components shown or not shown in the
drawing, such as a digital signal processor (DSP) 3380. Although
the DSP 3380 is shown as a separate component, the DSP 3380 might
be incorporated into the processor 3310.
[0024] The processor 3310 executes instructions, codes, computer
programs, or scripts that it might access from the network
connectivity devices 3320, RAM 3330, ROM 3340, or secondary storage
3350 (which might include various disk-based systems such as hard
disk, floppy disk, or optical disk). While only one CPU 3310 is
shown, multiple processors may be present. Thus, while instructions
may be discussed as being executed by a processor, the instructions
may be executed simultaneously, serially, or otherwise by one or
multiple processors. The processor 3310 may be implemented as one
or more CPU chips.
[0025] The network connectivity devices 3320 may take the form of
modems, modem banks, Ethernet devices, universal serial bus (USB)
interface devices, serial interfaces, token ring devices, fiber
distributed data interface (FDDI) devices, wireless local area
network (WLAN) devices, radio transceiver devices such as code
division multiple access (CDMA) devices, global system for mobile
communications (GSM) radio transceiver devices, universal mobile
telecommunications system (UMTS) radio transceiver devices, long
term evolution (LTE) radio transceiver devices, worldwide
interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) devices, and/or other
well-known devices for connecting to networks. These network
connectivity devices 3320 may enable the processor 3310 to
communicate with the Internet or one or more telecommunications
networks or other networks from which the processor 3310 might
receive information or to which the processor 3310 might output
information. The network connectivity devices 3320 might also
include one or more transceiver components 3325 capable of
transmitting and/or receiving data wirelessly.
[0026] The RAM 3330 might be used to store volatile data and
perhaps to store instructions that are executed by the processor
3310. The ROM 3340 is a non-volatile memory device that typically
has a smaller memory capacity than the memory capacity of the
secondary storage 3350. ROM 3340 might be used to store
instructions and perhaps data that are read during execution of the
instructions. Access to both RAM 3330 and ROM 3340 is typically
faster than to secondary storage 3350. The secondary storage 3350
is typically comprised of one or more disk drives or tape drives
and might be used for non-volatile storage of data or as an
over-flow data storage device if RAM 3330 is not large enough to
hold all working data. Secondary storage 3350 may be used to store
programs that are loaded into RAM 3330 when such programs are
selected for execution.
[0027] The I/O devices 3360 may include liquid crystal displays
(LCDs), touch screen displays, keyboards, keypads, switches, dials,
mice, track balls, voice recognizers, card readers, paper tape
readers, printers, video monitors, or other well-known input/output
devices. Also, the transceiver 3325 might be considered to be a
component of the I/O devices 3360 instead of or in addition to
being a component of the network connectivity devices 3320.
[0028] FIG. 4 is a diagram of an alternate electrical configuration
400 of a deployable solar power system. The alternate electrical
configuration 400 may be configured similarly and function
similarly to electrical configuration 200. Alternate electrical
configuration 400 may not contain a rotary converter 225. In
addition in alternate electrical configuration 400, the backup DC
generator 265 maybe connected directly to the battery bank 215. The
backup DC generator 265 may be used when the PV cells 205 fail to
provide enough power to the load 260. The backup DC generator 265
may comprise a charge controller not pictured.
[0029] The alternate electrical configuration 400 may optionally
comprise a variable frequency drive 405. The variable frequency
drive 405 may receive the output of transformer 245, transfer
switch 230, or DC to AC inverter 220 depending on the selected
configuration of optional components. The variable frequency drive
may output to the disconnect 250. The variable frequency drive 405
may be selected to compensate for a significant amount of in-rush
current resulting from starting the load 260 from an off state. The
variable frequency drive 405 may also be selected for loads 260
that experience a change in electrical resistance while running.
Loads 260 with constant resistance and little-to-no in-rush current
may not require a variable frequency drive 405 as the loads 260
will draw a constant amount of current from the alternate
electrical configuration 400. A combination of the electrical
configuration 200 and the alternate electrical configuration 400
may be used in certain embodiments depending upon the needs of the
load 260. For example, a portable solar array may be configured to
output 480 volt (V), 3-phase alternating current (AC), providing up
to and potentially more than 20 to 30 or more kilowatts (kW) of
power for use in industrial applications.
[0030] The present disclosure provides illustrative implementations
of one or more embodiments. The disclosure should in no way be
limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and
techniques illustrated below, including the exemplary designs and
implementations illustrated and described herein, but may be
modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their
full scope of equivalents. A person of skill in the relevant art
will recognized that the disclosed systems and/or methods may be
implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known
or in existence.
[0031] This written description may enable those skilled in the art
to make and use embodiments having alternative elements that
likewise correspond to the elements of the techniques of this
application. The intended scope of the techniques of this
application thus includes other structures, systems or methods that
do not differ from the techniques of this application as described
herein, and further includes other structures, systems or methods
with insubstantial differences from the techniques of this
application as described herein.
[0032] While several embodiments have been provided in the present
disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed systems and
methods may be embodied in many other specific forms without
departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The present
examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive,
and the intention is not to be limited to the details given herein.
For example, the various elements or components may be combined or
integrated in another system or certain features may be omitted, or
not implemented.
[0033] Also, techniques, systems, subsystems and methods described
and illustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate
may be combined or integrated with other systems, modules,
techniques, or methods without departing from the scope of the
present disclosure. Other items shown or discussed as coupled or
directly coupled or communicating with each other may be indirectly
coupled or communicating through some interface, device, or
intermediate component, whether electrically, mechanically, or
otherwise. Other examples of changes, substitutions, and
alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could
be made without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed
herein.
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